Virus
by larkchele
Summary: When a zombie virus hits the world, everyone must band together to surive, but who's loyal, and who's not?
1. Got To Go

Rachel was awoken on a ice-cold September evening in her New York apartment by her long term boyfriend, Noah. As she sat up dazed and half-asleep, she noticed his expression wasn't the normal one he wore, which was casual and easy going with an occasional smirk, it was a mix of concern and anxiety. Something was seriously wrong.

"Noah, it's 3.15 in the morning! I've got a rehearsal tomorrow, is it really necessary for me to be awake right now!" She looked awya from observing her alarm clock, to make out in the darkness him turning on their television in the corner of the room, and immediately tuning it in to the local news station. Rachel was becoming more apprehensive by the second. "Will you please explaing to me what's happening?" Rachel demanded as she sat on the edge of their shared bed, the remote clutched in his hands as he stared at the unfolding events on the TV.

"Shh Rachel.. Just watch it." Puck whispered quietly, paying close attention to the television.

Rachel glanced towards the TV, to discover a news reporter standing nearby what seemed like a crowded train station, who was being bustled about by many other frantic people rushing to get inside. Screams of dread and cries of suffering echoed in the background, but Rachel tried to block them out.

"..The actual amount of estimated deaths is uncertain at this current moment, we're still awaiting an official police report.." Rachel stared at the television, shock racing through her tiny body. "..There is no actual explanation as to what this is, or who has caused it, but one thing is for certain, it's not stopping soon."

Puck stood up and began to tear clothes out of his and Rachel's wardrobe, stuffing them into the nearest bags and suitcases. "Police officers have confirmed that NYC is now infected with the Virus, they advise everyone to remain indoors and keep their windows and doors locked, keep their curtains closed, and to not venture outside unless completely urgent."

Puck muttered to himself words Rachel wouldn't normally let him use, but right now he didn't care. He had to get himself and Rachel out of New York. Yeah, he knew Rachel would spout some crap about the fact she has a Broadway show to perform the next night, but that didn't matter anymore.

As he zipped up their suitcases and dumped them on the hard wooden floor, Rachel looked up at him, wariness and panic taking over her eyes. "Noah, didn't you hear what they said? We can't leave here! Its not safe! We should stay here, until somebody comes to help us!"

"Help? Help? The entire city, or possibly the world is screwed, nobody is coming to help us anytime soon." He hated speaking to her like this, but she had to take notice to what he was explaining. "Look Rach, this place isn't safe anymore. We've gotta get out of here, leave New York."

She tried to plead with him, but he wouldn't budge on his decision. "Pack things you need, nothing too heavy." He left the room then, dragging the suitcases along with him.

A virus? A life-threatening virus? Rachel couldn't process all of this information at once, and she hoped it was just a vivid dream, one that she'd soon wake up from and tell Noah how terrifying it was. That satisfying moment never came, though. It was now a never-ending nightmare, one Rachel wished she could escape.

Puck was taking knives and other weapons out from cupboards, placing them inside his coat pockets. He had to admit, the idea of sticking a knife in someone's head was pretty gross, but he'd do it to protect Rachel. He'd kill anything who tried to harm her, living or dead. "Are you gonna take much longer Rach? Its best for us to leave now, before things get anymore crazy."

"Yes, Noah I'm here.." Rachel stumbled into the kitchen with a small bag over her shoulder, soon stopping whatever she was about to say as she noticed him examining a sharp knife before sticking it inside his pocket. "W-What are you going to do with that? Put that back!"

"Oh, just going to make us a sandwich. Do you want cheese on yours?" He smirked at her hostile expression then continued talking. "No, I'm not gonna put it back. We need protection. Do you think I'm just gonna let us both go out there without any? You're crazy Rach. Now, which one do you want to use?" Puck pointed to a small variety of weapons that were strewn across the counter top.

Rachel then began to rant about how killing anyone isn't right, even if that person is dead. In the end, she decided to select a small pocket knife, but vowed never to use it against anybody.

As they left the apartment, preparing to face whatever lied ahead of them, they heard the screaming voice of the news reporter before they got cut off, or eaten by whatever lurked outside. Dying words faded off into nothingess. "Nobody is safe. Nobody."

Time seemed to pass by so quickly, Rachel had no idea where she was until she found herself sticking a knife into someone's chest, breaking down instantaneously into floods of tears, before Puck stopped her attracting any attention from their position behind a coach. So far, they hadn't been noticed by too many of those 'things'.

They didn't speak much, apart from whispers of where they should move to next. Puck was trying to keep her away from the procedure of killing, but when he was against the infected, he begged her to help him. She did what she vowed she wouldn't do. Kill someone.

It had a massive effect on her, and resulted in her being unable to stop crying when she watched the now lifeless body slump to the ground along with the other two Puck had killed himself. Rachel glanced around the once bursting with life New York streets, terror pulsing through her. People ran, screaming, only to be pulled back into the vicious arms of those who intended to take life from them. They arose soon enough though, but not as the person they were. No, they were killing monsters. Just like their murderers.

The small girl was beginning to calm down when they entered a place which was deemed "The Safe Zone" by the government. It seemed safe, as the military guarded all of the enterances and exits, carrying large harmful weapons. After an endless wait with Puck constantly scanning the crowd for who or what Rachel didn't know, they got aboard a train, the destination nobody knew. But everyone had the same intention. To leave New York and never return.

She sat down, with Puck tightly crammed in beside her, and decided to check her phone. Rachel was surprised to see a voice message from none other than Santana Lopez.

"Rachel? Rachel? Can you hear me? Oh, you can now. Sorry, its me, Santana. I don't know if you're even alive, but if you are, I wanted to see if everything was fine. I seen.. Everything that's been happening in New York. I'm really worried about you, Rach.." Rachel carried on listening to Santana ramble endlessly as she watched Puck doze in and out of sleep, keeping a tight grip on the blood-filled knife in his hand. Even now, he wouldn't let go of that knife.

"Anyway, I just wanted to know whether you would want to come back to Ohio to stay with me and Britt. Its safe here according to the news, and I wouldn't want you to be out there without any place to stay.." Rachel had to admit, their relationship had certainly improved since high school. In fact, they were kind of friends. Best friends. She liked Santana, and believed going to stay with her wouldn't be all too bad. They wouldn't be alone then. It was alot better than being out in the open, available to see from miles away.

"..Sorry for talking for so long, but if you do get this message, please reply to me. Even if you don't want to stay, I just.. Want to know you're safe, okay? Goodbye and I.. I miss you." The message then cut off, and Rachel began to type her reply to Santana.

Sending the message, the brunette informed Santana that she'd certainly try to come back to Ohio, and she'd call as soon as possible. Putting her phone back in her pocket, her eyes fluttered shut, soon falling into a deep sleep.


	2. Back To Our Roots

The next time Rachel opened her eyes, she was in a taxi with Puck beside her holding her hand tightly. She came to the realisation that it was just him with her driving through the city streets. "Where.. Where are we? I thought we were on a train.. And New York.. The Vi-" Puck leaned back to look at Rachel and ran his fingers through her hair slowly.

"Rach, calm down.. Don't freak yourself out, okay? We're in Ohio now. Santana called earlier when you were asleep. She knows we're here. Everything is fine now, I promise." Gazing into his hazel eyes, she knew that was probably not the case, but for now she chose to believe him.

"We got off the train about thirty minutes ago, and we've been in here for about ten. Santana said that things in New York are.. Getting worse. But right now, I don't care about that, and you shouldn't either. All that matters is that you're safe, and we're together." He smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes, and looked away out of the window. His hand only held hers tighter, like he couldn't bare to let go.

An escalating panic was arising in Ohio and other states, people feared that the Virus was slowly but surely spreading to other places out of New York. The death toll, or the zombie toll, was certainly growing to a large amount. It was assumed that the whole of NYC was full of walking corpses. It won't be long before those walking corpses became hungry, and began to look for food outside of New York.

It was night-time when they pulled up outside Santana's small, but otherwise pretty home. The front door to Santana's was opened whilst Puck and Rachel got out of the car, Puck retrieving their bags from the boot after paying the anxious looking taxi driver, who soon sped off into the night. Santana crushed both Rachel and Puck in a tight embrace, and lead them both inside.

Santana had obviously heard warnings on the news, because when they walked inside, she closed and locked the front door, placing wooden planks against it. Ohio wasn't even infected, but nobody was taking any chances. The risk they faced was too great.

Hours later, Rachel sat up restlessly on Santana's spare bed unable to sleep, watching people leave their homes through a small crack in the window that had been left uncovered. Puck snored softly beside her, his day had been even longer and tougher than hers. Soon enough, Ohio was going to be a deserted town, and Rachel couldn't decide whether this was good or bad.

For now, it was good. The less people that live here, the less chance there would be that the infected would come looking for food. But the bad would come if the infected did make their way into Ohio, and nobody was around aside from Puck, Rachel and Santana. There would be nowhere to hide once the infected found them, and that's what Rachel feared the most.

Her thoughts and troubles were interrupted as Puck's hand drifted to her waist to lay her back down beside him. He pulled her into a fierce grip just like he had in the taxi, unable to let go of her. Even though now they were safe, they had to treasure every second spent with one another. Anything could happen which would tear them apart forever. But one thing Puck knew for sure; if she died, he would too. Inside and out.


	3. Together Again

The following morning, Puck left Rachel asleep upstairs in the bedroom, to go downstairs into the living room where Santana was avidly watching the news.

"The more you watch that, the more you'll scare yourself." He noticed her jump slightly at his presence in the room. "See what I mean? You're scared now." Puck jumped onto the couch and rested his feet up on the coffee table, earning a glare from Santana.

"I'm not scared, I just weren't expecting you being up this early, that's all. I figured you'd be tired from travelling yesterday." Santana said warily, before soon dropping the subject as the news came back from its advertisements, therefore stopping the conversation.

"New York City has now been quarantined, no human beings are aloud in or out of the area, for the fear of the Virus being spread further. Hospitals are now taking in those who have been bitten, to run blood samples and other crucial tests. So far, there is no cure available, but scientists are working with the hospitals in an effort to make one. Stay tuned for constant updates on this epidemic. Now, back to you Ryan.."

"That's complete and utter crap," Puck muttered to himself. "Of course there isn't no cure, those things can't be cured. The whole world is screwed, and we all know it. They should stop kidding themselves and admit the truth that there's no way to fix this."

"There will be a way to fix this." Santana argued feebly, whilst switching to another news channel to be faced with the exact same story, only this time things were just getting worse. "We just can't give up, not yet. The scientists are all brainy and stuff, right? It'll be fine."

"Albert himself couldn't come up with a solution to sort this one out, Santana." Puck sighed and turned to look at her. "You have no idea what we seen yesterday.. Awful things. Things the directors of Saw didn't even think of creating. Kids, old people, everyone, just killing every human being in sight. Not one shred of humanity remained in their eyes, those who had any anyway. This is.. And now I feel like a coward and a total girl saying this.. This is the beginning to the end of the world. Argue all you want, we both know its true."

They both jumped as a loud pounding began upon the door. "Those things are smart. Knocking on doors." Puck sighed again, louder this time, and walked to the door to pick out a sharp knife out of his pocket. He began to address whatever was on the other side. "Look; I don't know how you can knock on doors, that's pretty cool in my opinion, but yeah, I've got a knife here, and frankly, I'm not afraid to shove it in your-" The voice on the other side started to speak, confusion clearly showing.

"Santana? You're voice is a lot deeper than when I last left. Can you let me in? Please?" Puck was pushed out of the way as Santana unlocked and unbolted the front door to let in Brittany, who was carrying a full bag crammed with food and other supplies. Santana once again shut the door as soon as she walked inside, locking it again straight away. "Wait.. Puck is here? When did you get here? Did that genie lamp work after all?"

"No, Brittany. Remember? I sent you a message yesterday telling you that Rachel would be showing up with Puck." Santana took the bag and went into the kitchen to unload and put the contents of the bag into various cupboards.

"Oh.. I sat on my phone. Its broke." Brittany hopped up onto the counter, and watched Santana as she resumed her actions, who was laughing to herself quietly. "Anyway, everyone is still going crazy out in the stores, and a shop window was just smashed." Puck knew things were becoming worse, he just didn't want to face that fact just yet. Pretend just a little longer, he told himself.

After a while Rachel was awake, dressed and downstairs. She and Brittany began to talk with each other whilst Puck looked at Rachel with so much intensity and passion that Santana nudged him and whispered, "She isn't a piece of artwork you know." He smirked and shrugged it off, but didn't tear himself away from watching her. Rachel was too precious to him, he couldn't let her go. No way.

Time dragged on slowly before Santana received a phone call. Confusion, and a slight annoyance filled the perfect features on her face as she began to speak. "Finn? Why are you calling? Wait, what? Where! Oh God. Look, come over here. Bring the others with you. Its going to be fine, okay Frankenteen? See you soon, bye." She hung up the phone and resumed sitting on the couch.

Santana looked at Brittany, Rachel and then finally Puck. "Finn is here back in Ohio, along with Quinn, Artie, Sam and Mercedes. They all arrived more or less at the same time at the train station. He was about to have a tantrum down the phone because he couldn't 'deal with Quinn's constant questioning over whether or not they will be alive in the next fifteen minutes' so I told him to come over here with the others, that you heard."

Santana knew Puck would have a problem with Finn being here, as things didn't go too well the last time they seen each other. Santana's assumed thought was confirmed when he rolled his eyes and pulled Rachel right onto his lap, uncaring of what she or Brittany might say.

"They'll be here soon, so Puckerman? Listen up. I want you and the Jolly Green Giant to be BFF's when he shows up, you got that? I don't want you two fighting over something that happened way back in high school. And if you do start something with him, I'll kick you out, and you know that." Puck nodded in agreement, but he knew he'd kick Finn's ass if he even looked in Rachel's direction without his permission. Heck, he wouldn't let him even with his permission. Rachel belonged to him, everyone should know that by now.

Rachel, Santana and Brittany started talking about the everyday things they'd been experiencing in their lives when they were all apart, Puck soon drifted out of their conversation, to think about what lied ahead. If Finn did show up here and things didn't go so good between them, and Santana did kick them out, what could he and Rachel do? They'd have no place to go, that's for sure. His family had moved out to Florida a few years back, and Rachel's parents had moved to France to work. He and Rachel would have to survive by themselves, with no protection.

Yeah sure, he was a badass, he killed about thirty of those things yesterday, but being with others was a lot more reassuring, and safer. Rachel would feel safer. Damn, the majority of things he's done over the past twenty-four hours have been for Rachel. He doesn't regret it though, of course not. He wants to keep her safe and as happy as can possibly be, and more importantly alive. If they stayed here with Santana and the others, that could be guaranteed. Anything she wanted, he'd get it. Kill for it if he had to. Just to prove to her that yes, she is meant to be with him, and only him.

He cared about the others, and aside from the BFG, they were his friends and he wanted to protect them as much as he possibly could, but his main concern was Rachel. He'd forget them in a blink if she so much as requested him to do something. He'd do anything for her, no matter what the cost and consequence of those actions were.

Later that evening, the full group sat together assessing and discussing what their next plan of action was. They consisted of Puck, Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Finn, Quinn, Artie, Sam and Mercedes, along with some Irish kid named Rory that they picked up along the way, who apparently couldn't bear to have been left alone. Quinn definitely seemed to like Rory, she was always hanging around him. Poor guy.

Puck didn't speak to Finn at all apart from the mumble of "Can you pass the ketchup?" As they shared dinner that evening in the living room. The house wasn't big enough for them all, and Santana seemed to notice this. No way in hell was she going to let Puck and Finn stay in the same room as each other for an unnecessary amount of time. They had enough tension going as it is without them two at each others throats.

Finn started to report back to the group about what's been happening, everyone watched him intently, hanging on to his every word. "Well, there's been a reported case of a few bites on the outskirts of Ohio and other states, but nothing too serious. The cities surrounding New York is completely empty now, or otherwise filled with the dead. The government is beginning to panic, the mayor was about to start crying when I saw his speech today, I swear."

Uneasy glances were exchanged throughout the group, Finn didn't even seem to care as he carried on telling his heroic story. "I even got to shoot one of the Walkers-Oh yeah, we call them Walkers. I do anyway. But yeah, as I was saying, I shot one, and it was so disgusting, but-" Finn's story was interrupted as Puck scoffed quietly and rolled his eyes once more. "Sorry, you got something to say there?" Puck shook his head in Finn's direction and placed a blanket over Rachel who was now sleeping peacefully on the couch. She was sleeping a lot lately, and Puck was becoming concerned.

He saw a brief glance of jealousy pass through Finn's eyes, but it soon went away as he noticed Puck was about to react. "As I was saying, I killed one, and it was pretty cool. And its getting closer, whatever it is." Finn spoke with a careless tone whilst he observed Rachel, forgetting Puck was keeping an eye on his every move.

"We're going have to stick together, work together, co-operate. No stupid high school dramas in here." Santana spoke from the corner of the room, Brittany's head in her lap, keeping her eyes locked between either Finn or Puck. "I mean it you two, things are hard enough. Forget the past, and focus on now. On each other."

Santana's words clearly surprised Finn because he too nodded in agreement as Puck had earlier, and averted his gaze to look at the television to see a comedy on which nobody was really watching. Nobody found it funny anymore, hardly any laughter remained to relate to. 


	4. Things Get Harder

Weeks passed, and yes, things significantly deteriorated in the world. The infection had now reached Ohio, making the situation take a turn for the worst.

They'd already lost that Rory kid a couple of days ago, Puck didn't care too much about that, but the others did, especially Quinn. He felt bad for her, but otherwise forgotten her existence when Rachel became sick. Not a "I got a cold, give me a few days and I'll be fine" type sick, a hard-hitting illness that impacted the entire group with such an effect that they forgotten about themselves and their own troubles, and became focused on making Rachel better.

It was soon decided that Puck would leave the house for the first time since Rory got killed. Finn came along too of course, he was concerned about Rachel too. He loved her, still. Puck had to pity the poor guy, he had nobody now. His heart remained with Rachel, no other girl could hold it like she did, even after all these years.

Ohio was now deserted of human life, so far anyway. The army's plans of coming in to "Save The World" either completely failed or they just forgot to go ahead with it. Either way, they were having to fend for themselves now.

When Puck and Finn reached the main square, they went searching for medical supplies. Puck and Finn remained together, as hard as it was. Both intended to keep her alive. Both intended to fight for her love.

"Look.. Over there. I see a pharmacy. Should we go in?" Finn gestured over to the store, holding onto his gun a little tighter. "No Hudson, let's go to McDonald's. Of course we should go in there, idiot." Puck briskly walked ahead of Finn, stepping over broken glass and bodies, slowly entering the store. Finn followed soon after.

"These things are sneaky, they'll come up behind you and you'll have no idea. So don't get distracted by those kid magazines over there." Puck spoke harshly to Finn, feeling like he deserved it, as they scanned through the shelves.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let's look for supplies, okay? For Rachel." Huh, trust Finn to be all calm now. No chairs to kick I guess, Puck thought.

During shoving countless medical supplies into bags, a distant groaning was heard from outside the store. Damn, Walkers. Finn tilted his gun to where the noise originated from, and waited for the Walker to come inside.

Soon enough, it did. God, those things were disgusting and the stench was indescribable. Puck decided to let Finn take this one down, they'd have a story for when they returned. Conversation was running pretty dry these days, he figured Finn telling his story would start some sort of talk within the group.

The evening soon came, and neither Finn nor Puck were anywhere near Santana's. They decided to root for anymore food and other supplies in another store, when a bunch of Walkers decided to make their appearance. Puck thought this was Finn's fault, loud noises attracted them the most aside from the smell of humans and Finn only used a gun.

"What the hell are we gonna do now? There's about twenty of them here!" growled Puck when he slashed another Walker over the top of their head with a knife.

"I don't know, just keep focused. Don't freak out." Who was he? A trainer for a boxing match? Puck figured he was right anyway, soon setting to work on destroying these things once and for all. Killing until they forgotten how to do anything else, their minds focused on that one thing.

After what seemed like hours, Puck and Finn set back for the house, feeling proud of themselves for what the two young men had achieved, though they wouldn't congratulate each other. Finn didn't talk much either, he considered that lucky. That guy really aggravated him.

Soon after arriving back at Santana's, Puck instantly felt on edge, like something had gone horribly wrong. After the door being unlocked and both of them being let inside, Puck noticed Rachel wasn't downstairs with the others. Its fine, she's just sleeping, he tried to persuade himself, but he just couldn't.

"Where's Rachel?" Puck's question didn't get answered so he asked it again, the aggression in his voice clearly showing. He could feel Finn practically shaking with anger beside him. "WHERE'S RACHEL!" Santana looked at Puck when she explained, stepping further away from him.

"Well, you and Finn were gone for so long, and she was getting worried, I told her you'd be back soon, but she didn't listen, and she wanted to leave to come and find you both-"

"So you LET her! SHE'S SICK!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course I know she is, but she would. Not. Listen to me in the slightest!"

"You should of tied her down, knocked her out, I don't know, but that is the worst thing you could of possibly done! Now she's out there, alone, in the night when those THINGS are out there waiting to eat her guts out! I can't believe this Santana."

"I'm sorry Puck, but.. She just really wanted to see you."

"Well I don't think she's going to see me again is she now that she's went out there without any-Wait. Where's my gun? It was here earlier."

Santana sighed as if the answer was obvious and answered Puck. "Rachel took the gun. It took a lot of persuading to do so, but in the end she did. You should thank me."

"Thank you? That isn't possible as you've just let the one person I care most about out of here and into a world full of killing freaks! Didn't you listen to anything I told you last time when Rory got eaten?" Quinn flinched, but Puck didn't acknowledge he brought back bad memories for her. " Loud noises attract them, and what does Rachel have? A gun. You've basically killed her yourself." Puck continued to shout at Santana, seeing the tears fill up in her eyes. Good. She deserved it.

"Look man.. Calm down.. We'll go find Rachel, okay? There's no point sticking around here when she's out there." Finn started to prepare a new gun, and stick a bigger knife into his pocket in case the Walkers got too close and his gun malfunctioned. He was angry at Santana too, but he wouldn't show it. All he wanted was Rachel back with them, even if he wasn't the one she'd be most looking forward to seeing.

Finn and Puck soon said their goodbyes, and set off in search of Rachel. 


	5. Betrayal

Rachel sat shivering in a dark alleyway, afraid to move from her current position behind a large bin. It was a huge mistake to come out here, she realised that now, but there was no turning back. She had to find Noah. He was out here somewhere. Ohio is a small town, sooner or later he'd show up, and they'd go home together.

But what if he didn't turn up? What if he'd already gone home, and it was too late for him to come and find her until the next morning? Rachel couldn't try and process the fact because it would be too much for her to handle right now. Puck would be safe, he's tough. Just find him Rachel, she repeated to herself quietly.

Puck and Finn scoured through the streets, with no sign of Rachel. Where the hell was she? Probably hiding out somewhere. This search was going to take longer than expected.

Far away, Rachel heard the distant shouts of her name. Or was she imagining things? Even so, she got up and walked to the edge of the alleyway, keeping her back against the wall, to be faced with her worst nightmare. The infected, lots of them. They'd found her. Rachel's whole body shook uncontrollably, feeling the hysteria build up inside her. The brunette could barely breath, let alone try to scream.

After endlessly calling Rachel's name for so long that their voices became hoarse, both of the two men began to grow wary and exhausted. They figured that they would of found her now, but they wouldn't give up, not on Rachel, never.

Just as Puck was about to hit Finn over the head as the idiot shot yet another Walker, they heard another set of shots from down the street. Their heads turned towards the direction towards the noise, shouting louder than ever before. "RACHEL! RACH!" Puck ran as fast as his legs could carry him down to where the gunfire had been heard.

When Puck turned up, Rachel was cowering against a wall, the infected surrounding her, reaching out to grab her. Her aims were not that good, but it certainly killed a few off. "RACHEL! Hey, you, dead things, come over here!" Puck roared, earning the glances of the Walkers, holding his knife close to him. "RUN RACH! RUN!"

Rachel stared, dumbfounded, then quickly ran to where Finn was standing, a gun half-raised in his hands. Puck had a problem on his hands as the bloodthirsty killers headed in his direction. He was ready though. These things had tried to hurt his girl, therefore, they were gonna die.

Finn held a shaking Rachel tightly in his arms, keeping her close to him. He valued this precious moment, Rachel by his side, her arm wrapped around his waist.

Then the realisation finally came that he could just leave Puck behind, take Rachel back, becoming the hero of the group. Finn began to lead Rachel away, Puck shouting for his help, begging him to come back. "Finn, NO! DUDE, come back! R-RACH!" Rachel tugged and pulled at Finn, screaming at him to go back for Puck, but he wouldn't let go of his grip on her. He tugged her away, and the last they both saw of Puck was him being over-run by the Walkers. 


	6. Revenge

The commotion Finn was faced with when he and Rachel returned home was not a good sight, he thought the whole point of going out there was to bring Rachel back, and now that he had, everyone was shouting at him for the fact he'd left Puck behind. "You complete and utter MORON!" Sam shouted as he held a sobbing Rachel tightly in his arms, Quinn stroking her hair softly, whilst Santana paced the room.

"How could you LEAVE him!" Santana glared, pointing at him furiously. Finn was lost for words, and had no idea what to say. He was expecting high fives, a pat on the back, and for Rachel to realize that it was Finn she wanted to be with, but all he got was a slap to the face and her telling him that she hated him, hoping that he left and never came back.

Finn didn't regret what he did though, not at all. He had Rachel with him, that's what he wanted all along. Its a shame he had to sacrifice Puck to do so. There was too many of them there for Puck to handle, so Finn was assured that he wouldn't be making his grand entrance anytime soon. When he did, he would be the first one to shoot Puck down, whether he was alive or not. 


	7. There's A Reason

When Rachel had finally cried herself to sleep in Sam's arms, the group decided that now was the best time to confer over what should happen.

"I said at the start, if something happened between them, I'd kick them out. Therefore, Finn is being kicked out. I'm not having him in my home anymore." Santana said with a voice so serious that nobody dared to question or argue back with her, not even Finn. "And tomorrow, we'll search for Puck." Her tone was softer this time, sadder, as she watched Rachel sleep restlessly.

"Finn did this for a reason, and we all know what reason that is. Rachel." Quinn said with a frown, laying beside Rachel, continuing to stroke her hair. "Its hard to believe, and I risk myself being exiled, but I truly understand why he did it. He doesn't care about the fact that he isn't with Rachel.." Looks were turned upon Quinn, forcing her to raise her hands in a sign of retreat. "Okay, okay, maybe he does. But, he only wanted to keep her alive, just like the rest of us. He didn't do it for nothing, and I hope you all realize that." After earning a grateful glance from Finn, Artie voiced his thoughts to the group.

"That doesn't make him the good guy. No matter what you say Quinn, Finn has betrayed Puck. He left one of his own behind, Puck was one of us. We worked together for so long, but Finn changed that all for us. I don't trust Finn anymore. Puck isn't coming back to us, not this time. He's as good as dead."

"Quinn, Artie has a point." Mercedes said, sighing. "His only concern is Rachel, and we're stupid enough that we didn't expect it to happen sooner. Can't you see the way he looks at her? Like a blind man who's just seen the sun for the first time. He wants her for himself. Finn left Puck behind because without Puck in the picture, he and Rachel would of had a chance. That won't be happening now though, considering Rachel hates him. And without Puck, we're going nowhere. Admit it, we can't survive without him."

Santana was next to talk, and Finn was expecting a huge tirade of viciousness, but got the exact opposite. Emotion filled her voice, and finally stopping her pacing, turned to face Finn.

"How could you do that Finn? To Puck? To Rachel? You were supposed to care about her, want to keep her happy. And who does make her happy? Puck. But now you've erased every single piece of happiness, all because you were too damn selfish to let her be with the one guy she truly loved. Finn, she stopped loving you the moment she didn't say "I Do" on your wedding day, maybe even before then. Move on from Rachel, Finn. She doesn't love you anymore, stop causing yourself pain by still thinking that you and her still have a chance."

The group didn't comment on Santana's recent speech, not even Quinn. Because they knew she was right. They had lost one of their own, all because of Finn. Rachel lost more though, a lot more. She lost a soul mate, someone special who she valued, who she truly wanted to spend her entire life with. 


	8. A Moment Changes Everything

Rachel knew she'd never see Puck again. Her heart burned with agony to think about it, but it was true. There was too many of the infected for him to survive that. God, how she wished she'd been able to do something to help him. Turn the infected into chasing her instead, get a grip on the gun and take them all down, anything.

She could never forgive Finn for what he did, how could she? He was supposed to want to keep the group alive, and want to work in a team, just like Santana made them agree to.

The last she ever saw of the man she loved was the infected towering over him, that wasn't good on her mind or heart. Her mind constantly buzzed with his cries and pleads for help, her heart thumping with nervousness as she thought about all the situations he could be in right now.

"Rach.. Could I talk with you a minute?" Finn stood leaning against the door, nobody had been able to get a decent response out of her since they returned back to Santana's.

"Didn't the answer get through your head the first time? No." Rachel said bitterly from underneath a small blanket.

"Look... Just let me in, okay? I need to tell you something."

"Oh, what was that? That you left my boyfriend behind when there was the infected everywhere? I witnessed that one Finn."

"I know you did, but.. That doesn't matter anymore. He's.. Dead. You need to get over that."

"I need to get over it! Get over it!" Rachel stormed to the door, ripping it open to glare at Finn. Well, at least he got her to open the door. "You were the one who left him for dead! If it hadn't of been for you, he would of been here with me now! We.. We would of.. I would of been fine."

The small petite girl slumped back onto the bed, her once-bright and cheerful face empty, showing no emotion. Pale, drained, miserable. Finn couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't want to see the girl he loved so much so unhappy.

"What do you mean by 'I would of been fine'?" He sat beside her, keeping his distance, not wanting another slap to the face.

"He.. He would of looked after me, made sure I was.." Tears soon poured down her face, and Finn sighed with frustration. Why can't she just forget him already? He's dead.

"Yeah, I know he would of looked after you, but I can. I will. I'll look after you."

Rachel whispered a soft sentence, her voice trembling, that changed everything forever. "How can you look after an unborn child which isn't yours?"

Finn was speechless, no words came out of his open mouth. "Yes, I'm pregnant. And yes, Noah is the father. And before you begin lecturing me on the fact that I was so stupid to get pregnant, especially at a time like this, we just didn't think about the consequences. Because at that moment, we only saw each other, not the world and what it was around us."

"I can't believe this Rach.. Why? Why did you do this!"

"Because I loved him! I still do love him! I wanted his child, what's so wrong with that!"

"What's so wrong with it is that you're bringing a baby into this world when it has no chance of surviving. We have no medical supplies, no doctors, nowhere to go if something goes wrong. What are you going to do if something does go wrong, huh? Last time I checked, nobody around here worked in a hospital."

"Didn't you listen when I told you? We didn't think about the consequences!"

"Well maybe you should of." Finn, with one last agonizing look in Rachel's direction, left the room, slamming the door behind him. 


	9. Truth Gets Out

"..This can't be true. It can't be."

"Rachel can't be pregnant!"

"Well she is, how many times do I have to repeat the same sentence?" Finn sat on the edge of a small armchair, the arranged group of companions on the opposite side of the room, scrutinising him. They didn't know whether or not he was telling the truth, trust was still an issue between them all.

"When did this happen? How?"

"I don't spend my time monitoring Rachel's and Puck's personal time, and if you wanted to know how to make a baby, you should of payed more attention in Science class-"

"I know how a baby is made Frankenteen, I'm not stupid. Look, did Rachel tell you this herself or are you using this as a way to get us talking to you again?"

"I'm not lying, I swear. Rachel told me earlier, she kind of broke down. I didn't ask her to tell me, she just.. Did." Rachel's words from earlier crashed through his mind again like stinging bees. 'How can you look after an unborn child which isn't yours?' Pain burned in his heart, now knowing that Rachel could never possibly be his again.

"This isn't going to be good, not at all. What are we going to do! We've got a baby on the way! A baby! How can we possibly provide for them both for the next 9 months! The store is practically empty now, and even if it was stocked, it won't of have the supplies Rachel really needs. Why did she do this? Why couldn't she wait until all of this mess ended?"

Santana's eyes flickered frequently upstairs to where Rachel's bedroom was, and whilst the group got so engrossed in their conversation, nobody noticed her absence. She slipped upstairs, with a quick nod of approval from Finn.

"Rach? Its me.. San. Sweetie, let me in." Santana tapped quietly on the closed bedroom door, hoping to hear Rachel, when a muffled cry was heard down the hall.

Santana prised the bathroom door open, to come across a weeping Rachel, her arms pinned tightly around her legs, keeping her head down as the tears flowed freely and relentlessly. "Rach, Rach don't cry.." Santana sat beside Rachel and pulled her onto her lap, wrapping her arms tightly around the small girl.

Santana murmured words of comfort in Spanish in Rachel's ear, and soon enough Rachel's tears dried up, Santana wiping any tears that escaped away from Rachel's brown eyes.

"San, I'm so, so sorry I did this to you! To all of you! I heard what you were saying earlier.." Rachel kept her eyes on a loose tile on the floor, picking at it every now and then.

"Rach, don't apologise. We just weren't expecting this kind of news, you know? It was unexpected." Santana kissed Rachel's forehead, hugging her tightly. The Latina thought of Rachel as family, not just a friend. She loved her, just like she'd love a sister.

"Noah and I didn't think it through, it was unplanned. Santana, if I could take it back, I would. I don't want to do this, I'm not ready! I guess I should of thought it through before going through with it, but I haven't. And now, I'm going to have to face the consequences of what I've done."

"We'll help you through this Rachel, we all will-"

"No Santana, I'm going to do this by myself. I heard what Artie said, that I was making a huge mistake, that I was stupid. You all think I'm stupid."

"Rach, we don't think you're stupid, okay? It will just take a while to get this through everyone's head, and then, we'll talk this through properly. Together." Santana kissed Rachel's forehead once more, running her fingers through Rachel's soft curls.

"The baby is the only part I'm ever going to have of him. I can't get rid of this baby San, I can't. I have to hold onto something of Noah, and this baby.. Is what I need. I need to have this baby."

"But have you thought this through? Have you seriously considered what will happen after you have this baby? Rachel," Santana tilted up Rachel's head so they were looking into each others eyes. "Ohio is infected, Ohio isn't safe. Nowhere is safe. Imagine bringing a baby into a world like this, its not possible. We can't do this."

"We can do this, I can do this. I want to have this baby, and anyway, how can I get rid of it? There's no possible way."

"Rachel.." Santana sighed and rested her head against the wall, only to have Rachel move closer to her, resting her head beneath Santana's. "Its not fair on all of us, you know that. Its selfish. Rach, I know this is not really important right now, but what about baby clothes, diaper's, bottles, baby formula? I don't think any of us are willing to leave just to go get a bottle."

"Like I said, I'm going to do this by myself. If the baby needs anything, I'm going to get it."

"Rachel, no. I know what you're going to do. Don't do it."

"I'm not going to do anything."

"You're going out there to look for Puck, he's not coming back. He's not. Rachel, he's.. Dead now. Okay? You've got to start moving on."

"He may still be out there Santana. I feel him sometimes, next to me, trying to tell me something, but I just don't know what."

"Rachel he's never coming back. Never. Don't believe that he is, because he isn't."

"Don't you remember what we got told in high school? Don't Stop Believing. So that's what I'm doing, believing that somewhere, out there, Noah is fine." Rachel stood up then walked out the bathroom, bumping into Finn who's ear was against the door, guilt showing all over his face.

"Can't you hear from downstairs with those huge ears of yours?" Santana stood up too, putting her hands on her hips, staring at Finn who was paused in the doorway.

"I know this looks bad, but I didn't know what you were going to tell her."

"I was going to tell her the truth. What she knows is going to happen."

"Couldn't you of tried to comfort her? Saying 'Rach, Rach don't cry..' Isn't what she needs! She needs reassurance! Comfort!"

"No, she doesn't need any of those things, she needs Puck. Too bad you've took away the thing she needs the most. Good job, Finn." Santana brushed past Finn to return downstairs.

In Finn's mind, Rachel only needed one thing. And that was him. 


	10. On The Road

Finn and Quinn sat on guard outside Rachel's room every night, keeping a close eye on Rachel. Instead of her grief becoming gradually less, it intensified as time continued. The brunette never spoke to anyone aside from Santana and Brittany, and frequently stayed locked inside her room.

Finn began to regret what he done to Puck. He hated seeing Rachel like this, so lost, so lonely, when he couldn't do anything about it. He tried, but Santana never let him near Rachel.

"Listen up Hudson," Santana stormed into Finn's room, anger filling her face and voice. "You got to get up off your bed, get out of this house, and go looking for Puck. I don't care how long it takes, I don't care if you lose an arm or leg, I want you to go out there and FIND him!"

"I thought you told Rachel that he was dead. Why go letting her get her hopes up?"

"Well you know that poor girl, who you're supposed to 'love' has just told me that she wished the Walkers got her instead of him! She wants to go out there, get herself sacrificed, just so she can be with him again! And so, its your responsibility to go looking for Puck, not ours. YOU were the one who left Puck behind."

"What's the point of me going? He's dead for God's sake!"

"How do you know he's dead, huh? Did you shoot him down when Rachel wasn't looking? I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, you have 15 minutes before I kick you out this house. Either you go willingly, or I'll show you some of my Lima Heights hospitality."

Finn didn't want to see how bad Santana's Lima Heights hospitality was, so within the next twenty minutes, he was in his truck on his way out of Ohio. Good job he brought extra gas.

Within the first 10 minutes, he'd seen over one hundred of the dead. At least they were slow, he'd passed them before they even began to chase him. Finn started to wonder how far Puck could have gotten, if he was still alive, that is. A few ragged looking survivors waved in his direction for help, but he flew past them, not wanting to get distracted. He had a plan, and it had to work.

Back at the house, Quinn lounged on Santana's small living room couch, hoping to hear some noise, any at all. Santana and Brittany had both left hours before in search of more supplies for Rachel.

"The silence is really loud, don't you think?" Sam said, peering through a small gap in the window, holding his gun close to him.

"Yes, it is. I was thinking that myself." Quinn chuckled only to soon stop, laughter seemed strange and rare these days.

"Do you think Finn's going to find Puck?" Sam brought up the question that was on everyone's mind, but nobody knew how to answer.

"I don't think so, no. But Rachel believes he will, so for her sake, I'm hoping he does come back."

"If Puck does come back, we'll end up separating."

"Why do you think that is?" Quinn asked.

"Well do you think that Puck is going to be able to even look at Finn without wanting to shoot him?"

"He's just going to have to get over it, isn't he?"

"Are you expecting him to, Quinn? Do you think that Puck is just gonna be friends with Finn again? God, not even Rachel will be able to stop him. Its gonna be a bloodbath if he comes back."

"We're just going to have to sort it out. Like Santana told us, we've got to stick together. They'll have to set aside their differences."

The room lapsed into silence, taking in each other's words. Soon enough, Sam spoke up, keeping his eyes on the surrounding perimeter of the household. "I want to kill Finn for what he did."

"You can't possibly mean that, Sam!" Quinn shot up like a bullet, staring at Sam. "Please, don't do this. You've went weeks without doing anything, so why now?"

"Because now Finn thinks we're all friends again, now is the best time to strike back. I wanna kill him for what he's did to Rachel, and to Puck. What he's done to all us. Tell me Quinn, tell me that you don't feel any anger."

"Sure I do, but I'm not going to kill Finn! I'm not going to kill someone who may only have a limited amount of time left on the earth. Sam, we all only have a limited amount of time before we all die. Why go making everything worse? We need to value our time together."

"I'm not going to spend my final days with a guy who intended on killing his best friend and breaking the heart of the girl he loves." Sam retreated from his position by the window, walking to the door.

"Sam! Sam! Where are you going?" Quinn lurched up off her seat to pull Sam back, hanging tightly onto his jacket.

"I'm going out. I'll be back soon, don't worry. Santana and Britt will be home soon. Just remember what I told you, keep quiet and don't make too much noise. The Walkers are getting closer now." Sam wriggled out of Quinn's grasp, unlocking the door, stepping outside and re-loading his gun.

"Please don't leave me, please." Quinn pleaded. "Sam, stay with me. I don't want to be alone."

The blonde boy turned to face Quinn, a slight quiver of a smile appearing. "I'll be back soon, okay Quinn? Don't worry." Behind Sam, a moaning sound was heard, becoming louder and louder.

"Sam.. Sam.. Behin-" One of the dead attacked Sam from behind, ripping his throat open, eating the flesh and blood that poured out of his neck.

Quinn watched screaming as Sam was eaten alive, unable to move, her arms raised in a sign of help, but Sam couldn't be helped anymore.

In a matter of seconds, moaning was heard from all around, travelling closer and closer. Quinn slammed the front door, her hands fumbling clumsily as she placed wooden planks against the front door, struggling to contain the tears that poured out of her eyes.

Rachel, hearing Quinn's breathless pants and screams, crept downstairs to discover Quinn with her back against the door, shivering and crying. "Quinn! Oh God, Quinn! What happened!"

Quinn glanced up at Rachel, her eyes filled with tears, her breathing hitched and unnatural. "They've came for us. All of them."


	11. New People, New Town

Evening soon came, and Finn was out of Ohio, heading down country lanes and passing farms, still with no sign of Puck.

His rusty truck stuttered to a stop when he passed a large country farmhouse, with warm bright lights beckoning out to him. Hopping out of his truck, keeping his gun in his hand, he stepped up the porch steps to lightly knock on the front door. "Hey, its fine, I'm not one of them, if there's anyone in, can you answer me please? I'm looking for a friend of mine."

A old man, probably at the age of sixty appeared behind the curtain, giving Finn a once-over. He seemed to know the dangers of the Walkers. These country folk weren't clueless on what was going on out in the world. He nodded at Finn, gesturing for him to step back, and opened the door a fraction. "Who's your friend?"

Finn was annoyed at the fact the man wasn't very polite, but he answered the question. "He's a guy, bit smaller than me, quite strong looking, and his hair's shaved."

The man's eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly. "You're him.."

"I'm who? Wait is my friend here or not?" Finn started to grow impatient with the man, tapping his fingers against the door frame.

"You're the one who's gonna die if you don't get the hell away from this place." Finn knew that voice, he'd know it anywhere. And that voice was behind him. He spun around to discover Puck, arms folded across his muscled chest, an smirk spreading on his scarred face.

"Puck.. You.." Fear and dread washed through him. Puck was alive after all.

"Yeah sucker, I'm still alive. Did you think those Walkers got the best of me? Hell no." Puck casually started to re-load his gun, keeping his eyes on Finn.

"Noah, remember what we told you. No violence on the farm." The old man spoke up from behind Finn, worry lines covering his gray face.

"No worries Hershel, I'll take him off the farm. I can do violence out there, right?" Puck smirked once more at Finn, to pause and look at the man for approval.

"What you do off my farm is none of my business, go right ahead. Just don't attract the Others." The man returned back inside the household, closing the door behind him.

"How the hell are you still alive!" Finn frowned, trying to see any evidence that this was all just one crazy dream.

"I'm still alive 'cos I killed those damn Walkers, when you, by the way, NOT a cool move to make, left me behind, taking my girl with you."

"But there was so many.." Finn's mind flashed back to the night to where he left Puck behind, remembering so many of the infected towering over Puck.

"Oh, I'm being modest. I got a little bit of help. That guy you've just been speaking to there, well him and his crew showed up just at the right time, helped me kill the rest off." Puck slid down onto a step, his eyes never leaving Finn.

"Even so, you should of been dead." This plan wasn't going the way he expected. He hoped to find Puck alone, without back-up. Well here, he had plenty.

"Well I'm not, am I? Maybe you should pray to that sandwich just a lil' bit harder next time." Puck examined his gun, turning away with his back to Finn. Just one shot, just one. Then I can escape. "Before you think about shooting me, I got reflexes. I know what's going on in that pea brain of yours. There's no point trying to shoot me. And there's eyes watching you now."

Finn's eyes swivelled around the farm, unable to see anybody. Maybe Puck was joking, maybe he was serious. But Finn didn't want to take any chances. "Well why didn't you come back to Santana's?"

"The old guy advised me not to. Said his farm was safer, that nobody knew they were out here."

"But what about Rachel? I thought you wanted to be with Rachel." Puck's eyes flashed up to meet Finn's when he mentioned her name, immediately rising to his feet.

"Of course I wanted to be with Rachel, idiot! I just thought it would be better for her if she thought I was dead. Don't you remember what she did? Went out looking for me, by herself, when those Walkers where all over the place. I can't have her taking those kind of risks. I love her, but it was best to let her go."

"Well you've missed out on a lot, I'll tell you that." Instead of Plan A, he was going to go ahead with Plan B. Puck was going nowhere near Rachel anytime soon.

"Rachel's fine, right?"

"Rachel's pregnant.." Finn delivered the bombshell that he'd been waiting to say all night, observing Puck as he took a deep breath, leaning against the banister. "..With my child."

Puck's face was filled with outrage, his body language hostile. Finn had got the outcome he'd been hoping for. "YOUR CHILD!" Finn nodded, hoping to seem dignified.

"RACHEL IS PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD!" Puck lunged for Finn, only to be dragged back by a young blonde girl, whispering in his ear to calm down. He shook her off, causing her to tumble to the ground. "You're gonna PAY for this!" This time, his attack was successful, angrily slamming Finn onto the ground, punching his face time and time again.

The remaining family members heard the grunts of Puck and Finn outside, rushing out to pull them apart, Puck grasping for Finn with two girls holding him back. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU! I AM!"

"Someone take him inside." Hershel ordered, keeping a quivering wrinkled hand on Finn's shoulder. "Make sure he hasn't injured himself." The two women staggered back inside, pulling Puck away from Finn with all their strength.

Finn wiped away the blood from his mouth, to be glared at by Hershel. "You made a mistake coming here, I think its best for you to leave."

"My job is done. I told him what I had to tell him. I'll be leaving now." Finn grasped hold of his gun again, looking at Hershel warily.

"Don't come back on my farm. I mean it." Hershel's warning was loud and clear, forcing Finn to nod and slowly back out of the property.

He had no idea of who or what lied ahead of him back in Ohio.


	12. Death

"What are we going to do!" Quinn whispered as the Walkers thumped against the door, growling and moaning loudly.

"If I had an idea, I would of told you it by now wouldn't I?" Rachel mumbled, opening a window, glimpsing outside to see the darkness. The two girls had been locked inside the bathroom for over an hour, the infected still intent on breaking in.

Quinn nodded, taking in quick breaths, Sam's jacket pressed to her face. "I'm sorry Quinn.. I know that must of been hard on you. To see Sam like that." Rachel linked her hand with her's, leaning down to sit against the wall beside Quinn.

The girl didn't speak, only nodding again, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of his jacket. "I wish I had something to hold onto of Noah. You're lucky you brought that with you." Quinn's brief smile was shaky and soon slipped away into nothingness. "We're going to die here, aren't we?" Quinn spoke softly, her voice calm, showing no anxiety.

This time around it was Rachel's turn to nod, keeping her head down, her small hand resting on the bump that rose on her stomach. Quinn patted her shoulder softly, studying her complexion. "If we're going to die here, I just want you to know how much you mean to me Rachel, how much you've always meant to me. I'm so sorry for all the things I've ever done to you, Rachel.. I'm a bad person. I never meant to hurt you, I promise. I was jealous, foolish, childish. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Rachel glanced up to Quinn, her smile breaking through the sadness. "You mean a lot to me too Quinn. And it took you a Zombie Apocalypse to tell me what I knew all along." Laughing slightly, they shared a longing glance towards each other. If they were going to die, they were dying together. 


End file.
